Buck-passing Stops Here

October 13, 1985|By Joe Kilsheimer and Lynn Phillips.

There will be no more robbing Peter to pay Paul's past utility bills. A Florida law that took effect this month prohibits city and county utility companies from cutting off or refusing service to the owner or new occupant of a rental unit because of a past tenant's failure to pay service charges. Rep. Jim Frishe, R-Pinellas Park, who sponsored the bill, said he had received numerous complaints about landlords getting stuck with past tenants' debts. The law makes utilities responsible for collecting from the people who owe them. The law also says that past debts of a former tenant can't be the basis for a lien against the rental property unless the present tenant or owner has benefited from the service provided to the former occupant. The law applies only when the former tenant is the one who contracted for the services.